Wednesday 29 September 2010

Excellent Brighton Anti-Cuts Coalition March and Rally Today (Sept 29 2010)

Report from Dave Hill
I counted 302 people on the march from Hove to Brighton Town Hall. Lots more joined us as they finished work, joined us at the rally. So I guess there were around 400 at the rally. Lots of speakers from unions such as Andy Richards from Unison, Mark Turner from the GMB, a speaker from the Connexions service (due to be/ threatened to be closed down by Brighton and Hove City Council. Also a speaker from the Labour Party, Leader of the Brighton Labour Group, Cllr. Gill Mitchell, who didn't exacly oppose all cuts- she gave some personal testimony instead about how the Cuts would affect her work in the NHS and NHS workers. Also, Cll. Bill Randall spoke, Green councillor. Also, Phil Clarke (Socialist Party, Secretary of the Brighton Hove and District Trades Council) and Bill North (Socialist Party, Chair of the Brighton Hove and District Trades Council. And I spoke (Socialist Resistance) on behalf of Brighton Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
Lots of good speeches... enthusiastic rally/ crowd... TINA! There is No Alternative????? So say all the BBC. Sky-Murdoch news presenters... just watch them automatically assume there is no alternative to the Cuts... they are trying to make it `common sense'... but it ain't common sense... good sense (to use Gramsci's term) is No Cuts, Tax the Rich, pull troops out of Afghanistan and Iraq, cancel the Trident replacement, have a maximum wage of... what? £100,000 a year? When the minimum wage is around £10,000 a year! Conservatives, Lib Dems, New Labour all promised massive cuts!
Here are some of the pics from the March. Lots of pics on Facebook sites. Wonder what the Press will make of it, locally and nationally. No mention at all of any action in Britain in support of the European trade Unions Day of Action- plenty on Sky/Murdoch News and the BBC about the General Strike in Spain (the first in eight years), also the ETUC demo in Brussels... even some mentionof Portugal ireland and Greece... but a total news blackout on Trade Union Anti-Cuts marches and rallies today in Britain. Ah well, we'll need to look up The Socialist, Socialist Worker, Socialist Resistance, The Morning Star and local blogs such as this one, the Brighton Socialist Party blog/ website, Andy Richards (HoveRepublic) blog, and Tony Greenstein's blog. 
But it wa s a great day/ march/ rally. More pics and video at http://hoverepublic.blogspot.com/